


I think I know you

by city_noise



Series: CC Ghoul AU [2]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:00:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25513945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/city_noise/pseuds/city_noise
Summary: Max is on his way to a private island after an old school friend invites the trio to a reunion party. Max begrudgingly obliges, and as he expected, unpleasant tidbits of his past resurface.
Series: CC Ghoul AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1538818
Kudos: 6





	I think I know you

"Come on, we're gonna be late!" Nikki shouted to Max from the other end of the motorboat. Max decided not to answer, concluding his energy would be better spent trying to get the damned engine running than to explain to her for a third time what he was trying to do. As he pulled on the rope for a ninth time and it failed to start again, Max let out a loud, extended groan that made everyone else at the port look away awkwardly.

"Nikki, I'm gonna go help him out," Neil said as he started to stand up from his own seat next to her, but felt Nikki's hand gently grab his arm behind him.

"Wait, don't, I wanna see him struggle! Plus you'll just get it working after a minute and hurt his ego."

"Hey, I don't know much about boat engines! Especially one archaic enough to have us pull ropes in the 21st century," said Neil with a shrug.

"Look, I'm just glad Max found us a renter cheap enough for us to afford a trip to Ered's party. I was ready to just get a canoe and push it all the way to the island with you two on it."

Neil chuckled, and raised his volume as Max's work with the engine got louder and louder. "Nikki, I've seen your front crawl. I'm pretty sure you would have gotten a cramp and drowned yourself 10 meters from the beach."

"I'm land mammal, okay? That water ain't good enough for these GUNS!" She flexed her arms and posed like a bodybuilder, standing up suddenly and making the boat shake to the sides.

"Hey, watch it, you jock!" Max said as he stumbled and lost his balance. "I'm trying to get this working here."

"Aw, sorry Max. You're right, I should save the show for someone who'll appreciate it," she retorted with a confident smile.

"Who, me?" asked Neil incredulously.

"No, silly. Ered! You know, the girl who's so into me she invited me to a party with a bunch of people I've never met!" She said as she laid back with her legs crossed.

"She invited me as well, you know," said Neil, "and I don't know any of those people."

"Well, yeah, but I guess Max was coming as well and she didn't want to leave you out or whatever. Plus, how am I gonna poke fun at Max's awful high school pics without you by my side?"

"Uh huh." said Max.

"Awww," said Nikki. "Don't be such a buzzkill, I promise it'll be fun when we bully you. And it'll only be about funny things like your haircut and braces and overall appearance."

"Wait wait, braces?" Neil asked.

"Hm? OOOOH, OH, OH I DIDN'T SHOW YOU!" Nikki exclaimed. She quickly took a hold of her phone as Max silently groaned and lay his head on top of the still dead engine. "Ered sent me this from when they were in the same class. Said it was some sort of camp trip." She scrolled through a handful of memes and blurry animal pics in her gallery until finding one of a bunch of teens gathered around a campfire. It looked like it didn't fit the screen properly, cropped to show only the faces of three kids. Nikki zoomed in on a bushy haired one, his poorly lit face covered in zits and displaying a wide smile as he looked off camera.

"See? They're so big they're bugging out the camera with lens flare."

"Nikki, you've worn braces!" Max interrupted, sounding almost outraged. "What are you even mocking me for?!"

"For the _glory_. And _to get you all embarrassed._ " She said that with an overly serious tone as she held up the phone for Neil to see. It was actually kind of charming, seeing a younger Max genuinely smiling among what seemed to be his friends. He didn't know much about his friend- boyfriend's middle school life, and whatever glimpses of it he provided consisted of either dismissive shrugs or extended groans of psychological pain.

"Ok guys, you had your fill, put it down. I wanna get done with this useless piece of junk."

"Aww, Max, still not getting it running? I wanna get there today, you know?" said Nikki.

"Have any better ideas?" Max complained as he tossed the rope into the floor.

"Sure I do! Give it the old Waterstone family treatment. Here, lemme help you out." She waltzed confidently to the back of the boat and climbed to where Max was standing. "See, what you need is a confident pull. You're too scared of the beast to let it gel with you."

"I'm more afraid of the extra repair bills we'll have to pay the ''beast'' after you break it, so when it happens I expect you to put your money where your mouth is."

"Yeah, yeah, you drama queen." As she mocked him she placed her foot on top of the motor and grabbed the cable, making Max rub his temples. Once she felt she had a good hold, she pulled with her back and the momentum and water made her slip and hit her head against the boat floor. "YEOUWCH! Owowowowow," she complained, and Max put on a smug smirk for a brief moment before he noticed the engine had started humming along. 

"HA! TAKE THAT, DARK BEAST OF THE SEAS! YOU'RE MINE NOW! HAHA!" She celebrated from the floor, kicking her legs around. Max blinked for a couple of seconds, then let out a small breathy laughter as Neil stared wide-eyed from inside the boat. Max clearly hadn't been looking forward to this trip. The thought of being forced to relive middle school hell all over again was probably not exciting, and he was even less enthusiastic about doing so on some stuffy private resort littered with snobby, boat-owning 20 something rich kids. But Ered had sent the invites, to all three of them, and Nikki practically begged them to take this chance to reunite after a whole year of the trio being separated by college. 

Neil absolutely understood why he was apprehensive. But as much as he wished to respect Max's privacy, everything about this whole ordeal had him dying with curiosity. He'd always been secretive about his early life, with any event since the death of his parents shrouded in vagueness and hand-waiving.

Once Neil saw Max tool hold of the driver's seat and started to sail for the horizon, the hint of a grin barely showing as he looked back at his friends, Neil decided to make Max's comfort in this trip a priority. No meddling, no condemnation, just try to make make it fun or tolerable if needed. Standing up almost without thinking, he held onto Max's shoulder and left a kiss on his cheek.

"Heeey, no sneaking up on me." said Max. He turned to face Neil as he steered the boat, putting on his characteristic teasing smirk. "You face me head on like a man." He grabbed him by the neck and pulled him in for a kiss. "Now go sit, I'm the captain and I get to throw you overboard if you distract me."

"Uh huh. Sure thing, cap."

.-.


End file.
